Economic Potential of Shale Explored On WQED Prime-Time Special

On Jan. 26, WQED aired the latest in its series of programs devoted to the opportunities and concerns related to the Marcellus Shale. This time, the focus was on the economic impact that natural gas is having on the region – now and into the future .

A panel of experts from a variety of disciplines  answered questions from hosts Michael Bartley and Tonia Caruso as well as from everyday Pittsburghers via “man-on-the-street” interviews and social media outlets.

The Allegheny Conference’s own Dennis Yablonsky participated in the panel discussion,  detailing the depth and breadth of the opportunity that natural gas represents for the region. He was joined by Michael Krancer, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection; Jan Jarrett, president and CEO of PennFuture; Thomas Murphy, co-director of the Penn State Marcellus Center for Outreach and Research; and Matt Pitzarella, director of corporate communications and public affairs at Range Resources.

The robust discussion provided a framework for understanding some of the key issues related to shale exploration and extraction. You can watch the full, one-hour special on WQED’s “Managing Marcellus” website here.